Safety razor



Jan. l2, 1954 G. T. RANDoL 2,665,477

SAFETY RAZOR Filed June 24, 1950 l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\-rA\\\` A Glenn T, I'Rcmdo/J .BYl. 1

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Patented Jan. 12, 1954 UNITED vSTATES eATENT orifice- Appueation June24, 195o, seria1N0. 17o,145

(Ci. .3o- 51) 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to a safety razor and more particularly toa razor which is provided with a spring-clip type head for retaining arazor blade in easily attached, readily removed cutting position.

The safety razor art has been highly developed in the attempt to providean economically produced, readily employed razor which is mechanicallysimple, and capable of securely clamping a blade -in cutting positionwhile still accommodating ready insertion and removal of the blade. Theutilization of spring-urged clamping means has been proposed in theprior art, but the prior art razors generally employ a coil or tensionspring means which is separate and apart from the blade clamping meansand housing. Also the prior art devices of 'this type usually mask aportion of the blade cutting edge by the clamping members, therebyreducing the eifective blade cutting length, and also it is necessary tomanually grasp the blade to remove the same from the clamping means. f

The present invention now provides an extremely simple, readily employedsafety razor blade retaining means and without the necessity of manuallygrasping the used blade. The blade .cutting edge is entirely free of allobstruction by the blade retaining means so that the entire cutting edgeof the blade is effective for cutting.

More particularly, the present invention utilizes a clamping blade headin the form of a substantially cylindrical or semi-cylindrical springclip having a longitudinal slot through which the blade cutting edgeprojects. A handle is secured tothe head and carries a blade supportingsurface provided with blade retaining lugs. A simple lever arm ispositioned adjacent the handle for ready manual manipulation and isurged by the spring head into clamping relation with the blade and thehandle-to retain the blade therebetween. The lever arm preferablycarries means engaging the blade adjacent the cutting `edge thereof forurging the blade into seated relation with the handle portion lugs.

This extremely simple resilient blade clamping construction is capableof several modifications in which the split spring head may takenoncylindrical form, but the principle of operation remains the same inthat thefhead itself resiliently urges blade clamping elements ormembersywith the blade to retain the same in position.

It is, therefore, a broad object ofthe present invention to provide anewand improved safety razor in which a blade is readily inserted andremoved, which may be readily cleaned of beard and lather, and which maybe manufactured at low cost to meet highly competitive marketconditions.

A more specifi-c object, related to the foregoing broad object of thepresent invention, is to produce a novel and improved safety razorcomprising a blade retaining inherently springyhead of substantiallycylindrical or loop-shaped cross section, normally adaptedvto biasinglyencompass a movable member and a fixed blade support member in clampingrelation, said members accommodating the insertion of a bladevtherebetween upon manual movement of the movable Another importantobject rof the present invvention is to provide a safety razor providedwith a spring-clip type head resilientlyurging a pair yof blade clampingmembers into clamping relation with a blade, one 'of the blade clampingmembers being formed as an attenuated handle Vwhich is manuallyactuatable against the pressure of the spring-clip head to accommodate=insertion and removal of the blade.

It is a further important robject of the present invention to provide animproved safety razor utilizing a split clip-type lhead withl a'bladeeX- tending beyond the head and resiliently retained therein by means ofcooperative clamping elements interposed between the blade and the headand urged by the head into contact with the blade.

Still another important object of the present invention isto provide animproved safety razor in which a substantially cylindrical springtypeclip is utilized as the razor head to urge a pair of clamping elementsinto Contact with a blade inserted within'the head and retained by theclamping elements by means of cooperating lugs and camming extensionscarried by the clamping members respectively and acting upon opposedvportions of the blade to position andvto retain the blade in cuttingrelation.

l Other and further important objects 'of this. V invention willbeapparent froml the disclosures 21 remote from the cutting edge 36 is notsharpened and is adapted for insertion beneath the lugs 26 struck fromthe xed element 25.

The arcuate portion 24 of the column 23 has secured to the inner surfacethereof, as by rivets 35, a generally cylindrical split-type spring 36.The spring 36 is provided with a longitudinal slot 31 in spaced relationto the rivet 35, with one edge of the slot contacting the supportportion 25 immediately rearwardly of the offset support portion 28. Thehead 36 is provided with a second Y. slot 38 opposing the slot 31 andreceiving there- Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane V-Vof Fig. 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view, with parts shown in elevation, taken alongthe plane VI-VI of Fig. 3;

Figure 7 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing the spring-cliphead open and a blade being removed; Y

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken alongthe plane VIII-VIII of Fig. 1;

Figure 9 .is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5, showing the bladeremoved;

' Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the bladeretaining projection and adjacent portions of the blade clampingelements;

Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a razor blade suitable foruse with the razor of the present invention;

Figure 12 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a modifiedform of razor;

Figure 13 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing another modified form ofrazor of the present invention; and

Figure 14 is still another modied form of razor of the presentinvention.

Referring to the drawings:

In Figs. 1-3, reference numeral 20 refers generally to a razor of thepresent invention comprising an elongated handle 2l having a knurled orotherwise roughened peripheral gripping surface and a terminal reducedportion 22 from which projects a head supporting column 23.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the column 23 has Vintegrally formed therein anarcuate intermediate portion 24 having a terminal downwardly 'andforwardly projecting support portion 25 constituting the xed clampingelement or member of the razor ID. The xed clamping element 25 has asubstantially plane intermediate portion from which a pair oflongitudinally spaced lugs 26 are upwardly extruded with forwardlyextending clips having upturned ends to form angular openings throughwhich the butt edge of a razor 'blade 21 may be inserted to underlie thelug clips. It will be seen that the blade 21 when confined between thelugs 26 and the supporting portion 25 is in extended surface contactwith the upper surface of the portion 25, with the blade rear butt edgebeing confined by the lugs. The portion 25 terminates in a downwardlyoffset guard portion 28 having an elongated slot 29 extendinglongitudinally therealong to underlie the cutting .edge 30 of the blade21. A terminal edge 3| of the guard 28 is deflected downwardly away fromthe blade edge 30 to serve as a guide.

The blade 21, hereinbefore referred to and best illustrated in Fig. 1l,comprises a generally rectangular strip of metal provided with alongitudinal sharpened cutting edge 30 notched at each longitudinal endportion, asat 32 to provide longitudinal shoulders 33 extendingsubstantially parallel to the sharpened edge 30 and in spaced relationthereto. The butt edge 34 of the blade 'from the lip 3|.

through that end of the iixed element 25 remote Thus, the iixed bladesupporting element 25 extends radially across the interior of thecylindrical spring head 36, with the lugs 26 being enclosed by thespring head and lying at approximately the center of curvature thereof.The xed element 25 is provided at each of its longitudinal ends with anupturned4 end 'wall 36 which is centrally apertured, as at '40, Veachwall 39` being radially aligned with the corvblade 21 therebetween. Theclamping lever 4| includes a forward ledge 42 overlying the blade 21rearwardly of the cutting edge 46, an upwardly displaced central portion43 extending across the interior of the spring head 36, and an elongatedextension 44 extending through an aperture 45 to project beyond thespring head. That portion of the clamping arm projecting beyond thespring head is arcuately deformed to lie in closely spaced relation tothe spring head, the clamping projection terminating in a manuallydepressible depending lever arm 46 adjacent to and spaced from thehandle column 23.

In Figs. 3 and l0, it will be seen that the ledge portion 42 of theclamping arm 4| is provided at each longitudinal' end with a downturnedclamping projection 41 provided with an inclined rearwardly extendingcamming edge 48 for engagement with the blade shoulders 33 to retractthe butt edge of the blade into fully retained position under the clips26.

The operation of the hereinbefore described safety razor wili be evidentto those skilled in the art. It will be seen that the substantiallycylindrical split spring-sleeve head 36 urges the clamping arm 4lagainst the xed clamping element 25 to confine the blade 21therebetween. More particularly, the blade 21 is confined at itsrearmost butt portion 34 beneath the lug clips 26 of the portion 25,with the blade being retained to underlie the clips by means of thedownturned retaining ears 41 formed on the clamping arm 4I. The cammingedges 48 of the projections 41 serve to retract the blade into shavingposition beneath the lugs 26 and to retain the blade in such position atal1 times when in use. Inasmuch as each of the clamping members 25 and4| is retained between the split edge of the resilient razor head, therazor head itself serves to urge the blade into securely clampedposition through the medium of the camming surfaces 48 in cooperationwith the shoulders 33 formed on the blade 21.

Removal of a blade from clamped position within the razor head is easilyaccomplished by mere movement of the lever arm 46 toward the handle 2 I,as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The opening movement of thearm causes pivot- Ynesting arcuate conguration of the handle portion 24and of the spring head 36, serves to rig idly connect the head to thehandle, while the resilient support of the clamping arm il by the springhead 38 prevents displacement of this arm when the device is in use.

The vclamping head is entirely open to the flow of water cr othercleaning fluid through the head. Water now is accommodated by the openends of the spring head and the openings it in the end plates 39, sothat cleaning of bristles, shaving soap, and the lise, from the interioror the razor and the maintenance of the razor in sanitary condition isreadily accommodated with out necessitating removal of the bladefollowing each shave.

In the modications of Figs. l2 and 13, the razor is substantially thesame as hereinbefore described in connection with l-ll, inclusive, andidentical deformation of the razor head and reference numerals refer toidentical por tions of the razor. that the spring head 36 servessubstantially the same purpose as the head hereinbefore de scribed.However, in this instance the head is not truly cylindrical inconfiguration, but rather is provided with opposed :dat sides. bodimentof Fig. 13, the head 3G" has been slightly modied froniits originalcylindrical conguration with the top portion only of the head beingdeformed from arcuate coniiguration to lie substantially parallel to theclamping arm portion 4i extending through the interior of the head.

In the modification of Fig. 14, some revision of the head and supportingstructure has been made. In this heure, the handle supporting post 23kis provided with an upper oiset portion 23a which lies substantiallyparallel to an extended In Fig. l2 it will be noted In the emerminalportion 23h which has integrally formed therewith the supporting plate23e similar in function and design to the xed clamping element 25 of thestructures of Figs. l-l3. The supporting plate 23o is provided with anelongated interior slot 23d, adjacent and below the cutting edge of theblade 2l, substantially simi lai` to the slot 29 hereinbeiore described.The portion 23h also carries on opposite ends upturned side flanges Eeeach having an aperture 23j through which water may ow to facilitatecleansing. The spring head a of this type of razor is riveted, as at35h, to the terminal 23h of the portion 23a, and the spring head has upnwardly derlected lug portions 36e beneath which the rear butt edge :i4of the blade 2'? is coniined. The spring head 35a serves to urgeclamping arm 4l into extended surface engagement with the blade 21 toconfine said blade therebetween, as hereinbefore fully described, andthe arm 46 is provided in similar manner with a terminal actuating leverportion li.

It will thus be seen that, in the form of the invention shown in Fig.14, the only major difference resides in the employment of a semicylindrical spring head having lugs 36o formed integrally therewith,rather than having the lugs f d formed integrallywith the supportingportion "25 ofr the post ZShereinbefore described. It will be noted thatthe razors of the present invention may be economically produced bytheutilization of sheet metal I stampings for substantially all portions ofthe razor'. Iihe assembly is simplied, particularly since only onefastening means, i. e., lthe rivet 35i or 36h, is necessary to securethe complete device in assembled relation. The entire effective lengthof the blade cutting 'edge 3i) is utilized, inasmuch as clamping of theblade occurs at points laterally displaced beyond the length of thecutting edge, and the ready flushing of water through the razor toremove bristles, soap and the like is facilitated without deterioratingthe resilient characteristic of the blade-holding heads. Y

It will be understood that modications and variations may be eiiectedWithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention as dened in the claims appended hereto.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a razor, a fixed blade clamping elementhaving spaced lugs, a movable vblade clampingA element having forwardlylocated camming sur' faces projecting therefrom toward said iixedclamping element and a rearwardly projecting actuating arm, a, razorblade interposed between said elements and having one edge confined bythe lugs of said fixed clamping element and shoulders spaced from saidone edge for receiving thereagainst the camming surfaces of said movableelement, and resilient spring means biasing said clamping elementstoward one ane other and into Contact with said blade, said spring meansproviding a fulcrum about' which said actuating arm is operable tooppose the biasing force of said spring means.

2. In a razor, a pair of relatively movable clamping elements, one ofsaid elements Yhaving lugs struck therefrom and the other of `saidelements having a camming surface and an elongated lever arm portionspaced therefrom, a blade insertable between said clamping elements withone edge portion retained by said lugs and an opposing edge portionengaged by said cam-v ming surface, and a split resilient sleeve urgingsaid clamping elements together with said blade confined therebetweenand restrained against movement by said lugs and said camming sur..face, rsaid sleeve contacting said other of' said elements-adjacent thecamming surface thereof' and also at the lever arm portion thereof toprovide a fulcrum about which said arm is movable against the biasingforce of said sleeve to remove said'camming surface from engagement withsaid opposing surface of said blade.

3, In a razor, a fixed blade clamping element u having a pair of lugsstruck therefrom, a movable clamping element having camming projectionsextending toward said fixed clamping element in spaced relation to saidlugs, a blade having a blunt edge conned by said lugs and an opposingsharpened edge provided with terminal shoulders extending parallelthereto, and a resilient spring head contacting both of said elementsand enclosing the movable clamping element to urge the same against saidblade to confine the blade against said fixed clamping element, saidspring head urging the camming projections of said movable clampingelement against the blade shoulders to retain the blade blunt edgeagainst said lugs, to position the blade cutting edge in cuttingposition.

4. In a razor, a fixed clamping element having a terminal guiding lipand blade clamping lugs struck therefrom Vopening toward said lip, amovable clamping element overlying said iixed clamping element andhaving depending camming projections, a razor blade interposed betweensaid clamping elements, said blade having one longitudinal edge insertedbetween said lugs and said xed clamping element and having an opposedlongitudinal sharpened edge immediately overlying said guiding lip, andresilient means including a longitudinally split inherently resilientclip having the split edges thereof contacting said clamping elementsand urging said movable clamping element into engagement with said bladewith the depending camming projections engaging said blade adjacent saidsharpened edge and urging said one edge beneath said lugs.

5, A razor comprising a handle, a spring-clip head of substantiallycylindrical or loopshaped cross section secured to'said handle andhaving a radial slot therein, a xed clamping member carried by saidhandle and projecting radially across the interior of said head toproject through said slot, lugs deformed from that portion of said livedclamping member in the interior of said head, a movable clamping memberalso projecting across the interior of said head and having anattentuated actuating portion de- Y pending therefrom in closely spacedrelation to said handle, dependent camming ears formed on said movableclamping member, and a razor blade interposed between said clampingmembers with one longitudinal blade edge connned beneath the lugs ofsaid fixed clamping member and the opposing longitudinal edge being prorvided with recessed terminal shoulders against which the cammingprojections of said movable clamping member are urged by said resilienthead to retain said blade between said clamping members.

6, A safety razor comprising an inherently springy head of normallycylindrical or loopshaped cross section, split lengthwise along one sideand having circumierentially spaced longitudinal apertures in itsopposite side in angular relation to the lengthwise split; a xed bladesupport member having upwardly extruded forwardly extending bladeretaining clips in spaced longitudinal relation; a movable clampingmember having rearwardly inclined down turned lateral cammingprojections disposed immediately forward of the lengthwise split, saidmembers traversing the interior of said head and having ledgesprojecting forwardly through and beyond the lengthwise split of saidhead and normally urged together thereby in clamping relation; anattenuated extension projecting rearwardly through and beyond theaforesaid apertures from each of said members to wprovide an actuatingarm for the movable clamping member and a handle connection from thenxed support member; and a single-edged blade removably f1tting betweenthe ledges of the said members and having oset ends forming a shoulderrearwardly of the ends of the cutting edge thereof for engagement withsaid cammng projections to retractively adjust and lock the blade inshaving position between said members with the butt edge thereof fullyretained under said clips upon said members being urged into clampingrelation by said head.

7. A safety razor according to claim 6 wherein the attenuated extensionof the iixed support member is adapted to connectably secure the supportmember and razor head rigidly to said handle.

8, A safety razor according to claim 7 wherein the actuating armextension of the movable member is iulcrumed on the upper edge of thecircumferential space between said apertures whereby manual actuationthereof relatively to the handle is accommodated causing deformation ofthe razor head in opposition to its inherent biasing action to releasethe blade for removal.

9, A safety razor according to claim 8 wherein the ledge projection ofthe xed support member is formed along its forward longitudinal edge toprovide a face guard, and immediately adjacent to said guard in parallelrelation is an elongated slot through which beard-ladened-lather isexpelled during a shaving operation.

GLENN T. RANDOL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 824,691 Goe June 26, 1906 855,560 Cobb June 4, 1907 960,424Smart June '7, 1910 1,007,379 Odell Oct. 31, 1911 1,104,857 Windham July28, 1914 1,254,093 Vincent Jan. 22, 1918 1,415,077 Williamson May 9,1922 1,587,656 Kojima June s, 1926 1,592,540 Rhodes July 13, 19261,798,449 Behrman Mar. 31, 1931 2,546,405 Rauglas Mar. 27, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 23,594 Great Britain Apr. 28, 1910

